Connecticut Fishing Report
Matt, at Black Hall Outfitters in Westbrook has seen things improve this week, with some calmer weather, and the opening of fall blackfish season. False albacore reports have been quiet since the weather blew through last week, but the striped bass action is picking up the slack. There are school to slot bass all over the sound feeding on peanut bunker, big fish on the reefs and rips, and fish of all sizes harassing the bunker schools in the river. The tautog action is very strong, with quality fish coming from water as shallow as 10 feet! If you’re having trouble finding keepers, don’t be afraid to fish some smaller, isolated rockpiles, as you’ll likely find fish on all of them, and the smaller pieces aren’t generally fished as hard. There are some big sea bass in the mix with the blackfish, and you can also find some nice sea bass by dropping a jig underneath the schoolie striper blitzes.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that they have finally been able to get out on a steady basis after some tough weather. The fishing has been more difficult after the blow, but it seems to be trending in a positive direction. They had a great bluefish trip this week, with blues slamming the jigs as usual, and a few nice striped bass in the mix. Wednesday’s trips saw some better numbers of jumbo sea bass and scup, along with plenty of tautog for everyone on board, including a 12-pound beauty. There is still some space available on upcoming trips, so be sure to check their website for scheduling and to book a trip.
Captain Mike Roy at Reel Cast Charters reports that fall run fishing has picked right up since the big blow over the past few weeks. A massive amount of peanut bunker in the area is fueling some massive striped bass blitzes for his clients, and the fish have been all sizes. The bass have been willing to eat artificials pretty well, so topwater spooks and large soft plastics have done the trick. Bluefish are still in the mix, with some nice fish to 10-pounds, and some snapper bluefish action up the estuaries. Tautog season is now open and Mike’s looking forward to hunting some fine table fare for his clients. Give Captain Mike a call to schedule a fall run trip before time runs out!
When I spoke to Dan, at Dan’s Bait Tackle and Charters in New London, he was still trying to catch his breath from a crazy busy opening week of tautog fishing. He sold a record number of crabs for the opener, and anglers have reported what seems like a record number of keeper fish for the opener. Jigs from 2-3 ounces in brown, red, and green, along with standard hi-lo rigs have been producing equally well. Striper anglers are reporting some solid topwater action in the area, and there have still been some false albacore here and there that are willing to eat an epoxy jig.
Fisherman’s World in Norwalk has been in tautog mode for the past few days, as the weather has been cooperating for the season opener. They will have plenty of crabs on hand, along with all your favorite jigs and rigs. Early indications from anglers are that the fishing has been strong on the shallow structure, you just have to pick through a number of shorts. The albies are still thick in the western sound, from Middleground to Port Jeff and along the north shore of Long Island. A slug of huge bluefish has moved into the area and many anglers are finding it hard to get away from them. Many of these fish are in the 12-15-pound range, and there has even been word of a few fish pushing 20-pounds. The abundant tinker mackerel in the area has brought these bluefish in, and they can be seen along the beaches, rocky points, and around the islands. Striped bass fishing has been consistent in the area and should continue to improve with the cooler temperatures this week. Sea bass fishing in deeper water around 40-60 feet has been strong, particularly around the Celtic Wreck and 28C. Scup fishing is still going strong throughout the sound, with good reports coming from across all depths for both shore and boat anglers. Freshwater reports have been quiet, besides a few solid bass reports from the reservoir. The Thursday rain event should make the flows more conducive to trout fishing next week.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
Peak fall fishing is upon us in southern New England, with steady sea bass action and improving tautog fishing for the groundfishermen. Striped bass of all sizes are being caught with regularity at just about every hot spot in our range, and there have been enough false albacore hanging around to keep things interesting.
Connecticut anglers have no shortage of striped bass to play with. Schoolie blitzes are reported all over the state, and some big fish can be found on the usual reefs and rips, and throughout the range of the tidal rivers. If you find the bunker (adult or peanuts) you will undoubtedly find some hungry bass and a few large bluefish close behind. The false albacore fishing has been tougher, but reports are still strong from the western portions of the sound. The tautog opener was a strong one for most anglers, with good weather and plenty of action. Shorts seem to be dominating the catch, but plenty of keepers are being caught, especially around the tide change periods. Sea bass and scup are helping to fill the coolers, with the former showing up on the deeper structure, and the latter being abundant everywhere.
Anglers heading out in Rhode Island that are looking for blitzing fish should have no problem finding some. The majority of the blitzes have been mixed sizes of striped bass, which are assaulting bait all over the surface from Westerly to Newport. Albie blitzes aren’t quite as common as they were a few weeks ago, but make sure you have your tins ready, as they’re often seen popping up around the bass blitzes. Sea bass action has been as strong as it has all season, especially on the deeper wrecks, while tautog fishing slowly but surely improves daily with the dropping temps.